You’re probably wondering why Sydney Greenstreet as Alexander Yardley in Christmas In Connecticut is the featured image. He was the loudmouth publisher of the magazine chain that employed Barbara Stanwyck, that’s why.

I wish it were Christmas in May, but the Trump tariffs make that difficult. American ports are empty, which will lead to empty shelves at big box stores. It’s what happens when POTUS is a birdbrain with dolls on what passes for his mind.

My tank is a bit low when it comes to substantive posts, so I thought we should have a conversation about where things stand at First Draft and in the country.

The state of First Draft is good. We have an excellent team who are focused on the details of the illegal antics of Team MAGA so I can focus on the big picture. Thanks to Cassandra, Jamie O, and the new kid in town, Parenthetical:

The state of the country is shitty thanks to Team MAGA. Chancellor Musk may be out of the headlines, but the damage done by his attack on the government lingers on. The Trump-Musk wilding has been devastating to many people including millions who voted GOP in 2024.

There’s a lot of buyer’s remorse out there, but it’s hard to sympathize with people who knowingly voted for a convicted felon who staged a coup to remain in office. Nine years of Trumpist flooding the zone with shit has had a devastating effect on American ethics. I hate to sound like an old fart but it’s unimaginable that someone like the Kaiser of Chaos could have been elected president in the 20th Century.

I have some unsolicited advice for folks who are reeling from MAGA madness. Take a deep breath and stop doom scrolling. Fixating on the details of Team Trump’s malefactions is a path to madness or at the very least insomnia. Stay informed but think of more pleasant things than the idiot president, his weirdo Veep, and the vast array of incompetent sycophants who comprise Team Trump. They want you to be depressed. Don’t give them what they want. Stow away the time and think of this Becker-Fagen classic instead:

One thing I see a lot of on social media is people who say, “If this weren’t so terrible, it would be funny.”

It’s still funny, y’all.

As a satirist, I’m in the tradition of Charlie Chaplin, Ernst Lubitsch, Mel Brooks, and The Three Stooges. I believe that Nazis are simultaneously menacing and funny. It’s better to see today’s world as a tragicomedy than as a tragedy or as The Police put it:

Repeat after me: Mockery is the best medicine.

A discussion I’ve had with many people is about shame. There’s no reason for anyone who did NOT vote for Trump to be ashamed. Shame implies complicity or guilt, if you opposed him, your hands are clean.

Feeling embarrassed at having a lying criminal as POTUS is okay, shame should be reserved for his supporters and enablers. Come on down, Mitch McConnell and John Roberts. Their hands are dirty; your hands are clean. Take a look at these hands:

Finally, a style note. I have banned images of Trump from the home page. They’re okay beneath the proverbial fold but using them as featured images plays into President Pennywise’s thirst for attention. I considered modifying the ban until I looked at Charlie Pierce’s shebeen yesterday. It’s full of bog standard news photographs of the Insult Comedian. It doesn’t matter if the attention is bad, the stupid motherfucker craves it. Never give him what he wants. Besides, the ban has led to more creative featured images from our team. Thanks, y’all.

I’m not sure if this post qualifies as a pep talk or a scolding. Take it as the former. It’s a snapshot of where we stand as a community right now. If we stick together, we’ll get through this mess.

The last word goes to Bryan Ferry: